Tag Archives: Teachers

CELLO – Roger Morelló Ros (Young String Musicians Academy Mainz)

Teachers:

© Pau Fabregat

Roger Morelló Ros (b. Catalonia 1993) is a committed, expressive, and highly imaginative cellist with a remarkable ability to connect with his audience, serving as a communicative bridge between creator, creation, and listener. He creates performances that convey passion, authenticity, and spontaneity, captivating both audiences and organizers in prestigious venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin, the Suzhou Bay Grand Theater in China, Palau de la Música Catalana or Casa Milà (Gaudí’s building in Barcelona), where he was an Artist in Residence during the 2018/19 season.  

Winner of more than 30 grants and prizes in competitions, Morelló’s solo career has led to collaborations with numerous orchestras  – most notably the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been invited to important festivals such as Verbier Festival, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Rheinhessen Musikfestival (Artist in Residence 2024) or the Schumannfest Düsseldorf, to name just a few. 

He recently released the album The Voice of Casals in homage to Pau Casals, a careful and precise work, brimming with life and emotion — a delicate balance that Morelló masterfully achieves in both his recordings and performances, as highlighted by critics. Additionally, he has released Schumann goes Tango (Austrian Gramophone, 2022), and Founders Trio (Hänssler Classic, 2024) which premiered in Florida.

He studied with David Blay and Damian Martínez in Spain, before moving to Germany to pursue a Master’s and a Soloist-Diploma with Maria Kliegel at the University of Music in Cologne, graduating with honors and with the financial support of the Humboldt Foundation, Deutschlandstipendium, and the Güell Scholarship

Roger Morelló is regularly invited to give masterclasses (Berkeley School, Music Festival Salut Taiwan, Vila-seca Conservatory of Music – Spain, Jiangxi Arts Center Grand Theatre – China) and is a professor at the Streicherakademie Mainz (Mainz University of Music). His performances have been broadcast by the BBC, Spain’s National Radio, German broadcasters (WDR, SWR, NDR), and Belgium’s RTBF – Musiq3, among others.

© Neda Navaee

André Dolabella was born in Belo Horizonte (Brazil). He began his piano studies in 1995 with Professor Robério Molinari, and in 2000 he moved to Professor Frédéric Meinders. From 2002 to 2008, André Dolabella completed his diploma and master’s degree in piano with Prof. Solter at the Karlsruhe University of Music with the highest marks.
André Dolabella has received numerous awards, including the 2000 “Arnaldo Estrella” competition in Minas Gerais, the “Young Soloists OSPA” in Porto Alegre, the 2001 “Franz Liszt National Piano Competition” in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro and the 2003 “Guiomar Novaes” competition in Sao Paulo. In Germany, he won the 2003 KulturFonds Baden e.V. competition and received a scholarship from the Richard Wagner Association in Karlsruhe. In the same year, André Dolabella won the Büttner Piano Competition.

From 2009 to 2013, Dolabella was a member of the ensemble at the Hanover State Opera as a répétiteur with conducting duties. As a soloist, he has given concerts with various orchestras, including: Minas Gerais State Orchestra, Porto Alegre State Orchestra, Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra, Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hanover, Hastings Philharmonic. Dolabella also devotes himself to chamber music and song accompaniment and has performed in numerous cities in Brazil, Italy, Spain, Finland, Greece, England and Germany. Dolabella is a lecturer at the Nuremberg and Mainz University of Music for string accompaniment.

PIANO – Prof. Heribert Koch (Münster University of Music)

Teacher:

© Marc Jones

Heribert Koch initially received his training at the Universities of Music in Cologne and Karlsruhe and attended master classes with renowned musicians, among others with Tatjana Nikolajewa and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Finally, the encounter with Peter Feuchtwanger, with whom he continued his studies in London, became particularly formative and Heribert Koch subsequently assisted him on his master classes.

The international Piano Journal, which recently published an extensive portrait of him, describes him as „one of the most inspiring and creative pianist-teachers working in Europe today“.

Beyond concert programmes with major works from the standard repertoire, he frequently performs unfamiliar compositions, often presenting them in the form of lecture recitals. In this context he also acts as an editor. He received particular recognition for his profound research about César Franck, whose early piano works he made accessible to musicologists and performing musicians in well-respected first editions (publisher Dohr, Cologne).

Heribert Koch is a member of the Presidium of the EPTA Germany (European Piano Teachers Association) and served as European President of the Association in the seasons 2012/13 and 2019/20. He regularly acts as a juror of renowned competitions, gives master classes and is a sought-after speaker at international conferences.

Internationally successful pianists emerged from his piano class at the Münster University of Music, who were able to achieve numerous awards and can be heard in some of the most renowned concert venues worldwide.